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2-2 Walking Scarecrows: Skinsaw Murders, Part Two
The horrific scarecrows at Hambley Farm. Walking Scarecrows Upon hearing the horrific stories told by Maester Grump, a realization came that the threat which seemed to face Sandpoint was larger in scope, that the outlying farms had been targeted as well. His descriptions of scarecrows coming to life in the fields and slaughtering entire families was as grisly as it was horrifying, and while he had seen no instances of the ritualistic killings that had plagued Sandpoint, it was clear that these occurrences must be linked. Fortified with a fair bit of brandy, Maester Grump agreed to lead the group back to Hambley Farm where he and several other farmers had encountered the monsters - some of them might yet be alive he hoped. Ameiko demanded to be included - she would not remain behind in safety while her brother or his minions killed were left to slaughter farmsteads, indeed, there was little proof that she would even be safe were she to remain in town. Hambley Farm was only a few hours away on horseback, and with Sheriff Hemlock's permission the group readied themselves and set out. As they neared the vast tracts of farmland all was quiet and still under the cold light of a full moon. The homestead was in the center of rows and rows of cornstalks which had gone unharvested despite the lateness of the season. It was decided to leave the horses a safe distance away and approach on foot. There were scarecrows dotted across the landscape, the nearest hanging limply on the crossbeams used to support them. When the PC's neared and investigated the first, it seemed much as any other, eerie though it might seem beneath the moon. The second they passed on their way to the farmhouse however, seemed to sense their presence and come to life as they drew near. It leapt from its perch, snapping the crossbeams in the process and tore through the cornrows to get at them. In a pitched battle, the group discovered it was a ghoulish form of undead, similar to the ones they had encountered on their way to Raven's Roost. Despite its monstrous nature, it was dealt with quickly. The third scarecrow they approached also became to moan and thrash as they drew near, but did not seem able to free itself - Ezra commanded Aegis to slay the creature before it could break free and threaten them, but Jasper in a flash of insight halted him. Working together they managed to free the creature and unhood it, only to discover it was a woman, a matron from a nearby farm. She had been infected with ghoul fever garbed as a scarecrow and bound to the post until she turned. The woman gave her name as Hannah Guffman and, weak as she was, insisted that her daughter Lettie had been taken too, that she was somewhere out there in the fields. The investigation had just taken a very dark turn. Continuing to make their way towards the farmhouse, they encountered and fought three more of the ghoulish creatures, falling prey to their paralytic claws at times but battling through to destroy them - each time they were revealed as twisted and misshapen souls wearing the ragged clothing of simple farmers. The farmhouse itself appeared deserted - indeed an investigation of its interior revealed only the half-eaten remains of the younger members of the family. Zedkala turned up a fair bit of silver as well, clearly what the supposedly miserly Patriarch of the Hambley household had managed to put away. The farm itself was a different story - it was revealed to be the lair of the leader of these creatures, one of their get that had maintained enough intelligence to herd and direct the others. Its stench, much like that lingering about the murder scenes in Sandpoint, was overpowering, taking several members of the group out of the fight entirely as sickness overtook them. The battle was difficult, with Maester Grump doing all he could to keep himself and the weakened Lettie out of danger. Jasper and Aegis managed to slay it and its underlings finally, bolstered by Ameiko's magical words of encouragement. Upon investigation of the corpses, the creature that had led the monstrosities was recognized by Ameiko - even more shockingly, the crest on the key it wore about its neck was recognized as well. The man was, or had been, Rogors Craesby, the caretaker of the old mansion known as The Misgivings, rumored to have been haunted for decades. The key bore the heraldic crest of the noble family whom had originally built the mansion and had long since forsaken it after a series of tragedies befell them - the Foxgloves. Realization came sudden... it was not some reanimated or resurrected version of Tsuto that plagued them, but somehow the only remaining Foxglove, Aldern. The pieces fell into place... the words that had been left for Ezra weren't referring to Ameiko, but rather to Shayliss, the flirtatious girl whom had caught both his and Aldern's eye during the aftermath of the Swallowtail Festival. A girl whom had been left unprotected in town when the group had been drawn here. The group quickly fanned out throughout the cornrows, rooting out the remaining ghouls and discovering little Lettie, the child bound to a post and hovering near death. Neither she nor her mother would last another day, and after seeing what had happened to Ibor Thorne, it was all the more imperative that they return to Sandpoint in haste. Return from Hambley Farm In the hurried return to Sandpoint, most of the group riding double, what they had discovered was puzzled over. The suspicion that somehow Tsuto had been returned to life and was pursuing his unholy obsession with his half-sister gave way to the realization that something else, someone else had been behind the terrible crimes visits upon Sandpoint and the surrounding lands. The ritualistic murder of the local con-men, of Banny Harker, of Titus Scarnetti and his wife, as well as the seeming incidental deaths of Katrine Vinder and others became even more mysterious at the thought that Aldern Foxglove may have somehow been behind it. Concern for the safety of Ameiko shifted abruptly to fear for Shayliss Vinder, the girl whom had briefly been caught between he and Ezra as rivals for her affections. The ride home went as quickly as could be managed, supporting the woman Hannah Guffman and her daughter Lettie, both weakened, feverish and suffering from the late stages of ghoul fever. Maester Grump did all that he could, showing remarkable composure in the face of the horrors that had been discovered on the Hambley Farm. Scarecrows coming to life and leaping from their crosses, families and lifestock slaughtered and half-eaten and the stench of the creature whom had been bearing the Foxglove key seemed to cling still to everyone. Ameiko shared what she knew of the Misgivings, both in fact and in rumor (see Exposition). The group arrived in Sandpoint at most an hour before dawn, by that time the moonlight had been obscured by the clouds of a winter storm rolling in. They were greeted by the sight of half the town up and milling about, torches and lanterns in hand, Sheriff Hemlock meeting them just off the Lost Coast Road. He informed them that the girl Shayliss was missing, that apparently she had been exchanging letters in secret with Aldern Foxglove and that, in the absence of the group, he had come to claim her... leaving behind the same foul stench that had come to be associated with the murders. Ven approached them then, looking like a man whom had been broken. All former animosity forgotten, he pleaded with them to find his little girl, to save her, that she was all he had left. After his wife ushered him away, the group shared with the Sheriff what they had discovered at the farm, and Hemlock agreed that the key indeed bore the Foxglove crest. He tells them what he knows of The Misgivings, though he is unable to separate fact from rumor and suggests that if they intend to seek the girl, that be where they begin their search. Ameiko and Jasper see to it that Hannah and Lettie Guffman are delivered to Father Zantus for care, and the priest agrees to look after them until the Ghoul Fever has run its course, doing what he could for them in the meantime. Maester Grump stays behind to look after them as well, and Zedkala turns the silver that had been discovered over to the Sheriff to give to Mayor Deverin, in the hopes that it might be used for their care and the care of any other victim's families as they are found. Category:Chronicle